[Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet] hkvc:
linboothkvc v1.0_RC3 with good x-loader for O3Beagle and O4Pandabrd and semi 4NookTab

Hi All,

I am attaching the source code for linboothkvc with a good basic Nirvana code for Omap3 (Many mobiles and few tablets) and Omap4 (few mobiles and tablets) devices. NOTE: for NookTab, basic linboothkvc works perfectly now (except for may be some toning down of the secure Monitor code if possible), However there is some more work required at x-loader (which I am using as my NChild code) level which I have mentioned further below as TODO. Otherwise the basic logic fully works for NookTab also now. At this stage it can be used by developers and not end users as NChild code for NookTab still requires some love.

[A] obviously there would be some minor tweaks to the NChild load address and args to pass etc based on x-loader/bootloader used in a given device, but still the basic skeleton is fully there in Nirvana code now. And the same can be modified for other SOCs from Samsung/NVidia/(Not getting the other vendor name now funny)... pretty easily.

Also the addresses for the linux kernel functions which I use require to be updated for any new device or for a new/different kernel for the devices which I have already put the code in this release.

[C] It expects to find a u-bootk.bin in mmc vfat root dir, provided you are using the x-loader code which I have bundled. How ever based on your device, you may have to change to a different bootloader or modify x-loader to suit that devices need, and thus With your own version of x-loader or NChild code, you can always modify it the way you want as to what it loads and from where.

But with the above changes/setup this can be used with any Rooted ARM based Linux device (be it android or webos or ...)

Changes I had to do to x-loader for NookTab:

[1] I had to bypass or find alternate locations for some of the 0x.4030.xxxx addresses used in x-loader from BN/Ti (Haven't had time to look into the details as to why this is forced on us and how to force the use of the same address yet). For this reason I am recompiling the x-loader with a load address of 0x8000.7ff0 for now and sidestepping it mostly.

[2] Clock and related init settings related to MPU,IVA and DDR memory are offlimits for now (but then again for a basic working these need not be changed at x-loader level eitherway).

[3] smc/SEC_Ppa functions are offlimits for now, again not required at x-loader level.

[4] TODO: the x-loader bundled with BN source seems to be a old version or has some non required (from BN perspective, but usefull from our perspective) logics for BN stripped. So even thou I have modified the high level logic to do a FAT load from MMC for u-bootk.bin. Because of this missing support for FAT boot mode, the current version of x-loader for NookTab which I have bundled in my code doesn't load u-bootk.bin.

Enjoy and happy Experimenting all :-)

NOTE: When I say bundled x-loader, it is only binary blob, you can get the actual source code for x-loader from the respective git sources. I think few days back I uploaded the patch required for beagle x-loader to make it run in linboothkvc Nirvana env. I will do the same for x-loader for NookTab and Omap4 (rather omap4/panda hardly any change required from Ti release - I had to mainly simplify the argument mechanism passed to x-loader and nothing much, if I remember correctly, as I tried pandaboard 1 day back and after that I have done so many other things that, pandaboard is out of my memory Fifo) in few days.